Dr. Jarvis Sanford of Chicago is a leading Educational Consultant with over twenty years of experience in strategic planning, school management and financial operations. Jarvis Sanford is also a contributor to several publications and below he explains why strong effective educational leadership is so crucial.
Good teaching is more than just delivering coherent lessons. It’s a process of guiding and leading students toward their goals and directly influencing their outcomes. However, teachers need clear leadership to successfully help their students. Without clear leadership, no school can deliver quality education.
Dr. Sanford of Chicago explains that educational leadership should be based on individual and school-wide professional expertise that helps students grow, progress, and achieve better results. It sets a standard for future achievement and helps educators better execute their benchmarks. Starting from the top-down, administrators help guide teachers who then help guide their students into the future.
Strong educational leadership isn’t always obvious, but its effects are transparent. With five simple steps, educators and administrators can benefit the entire educational system, creating incredible results.
What Does Strong Educational Leadership Look Like?
Effective leadership—no matter what the industry—happens when skilled professionals share their experience and knowledge to better their employees and coworkers. Dr. Jarvis Sanford explains that for educators, this means staying up-to-date on all the latest learning methods, teaching technologies, and educational trends. Yet, communication lies at the heart of good leadership.
Strong educational leaders communicate clearly. Whether it’s an administrator giving feedback to improve the quality of learning or a teacher guiding students towards the right path, leadership starts with communication. Dr. Sanford believes that when everyone is on the same page, it fosters a motivating and positive environment in which everyone can learn.
Skills that Benefit Educational Leaders
Dr. Jarvis Sanford notes that these five skills set strong leaders apart. Implement them in your school and observe the difference:
- Strong leaders encourage others to learn – Successful educational leaders set the path for how teachers can implement new methods and organization by focusing on continued professional development. When teachers are encouraged to continue learning, it trickles down to students as they apply new technologies and methods.
- Strong leaders never stop learning – Leadership isn’t a static skill. It takes constant practice and learning to master. Strong educational leaders take time to gain new experiences inside and outside the classroom. Administrators can explore new teaching technologies and teachers can learn better ways to deliver lessons.
- Strong leaders promote growth – Education is forever evolving into new and better techniques. Strong educational leaders help their schools grow by eliminating inefficient technologies and investing in the latest and best teaching methods.
- Strong leaders align school management policies – No school can function effectively without streamlined management and data collection. Dr. Jarvis Sanford notes that teachers need adequate technologies to help collect and collate students’ grades. Likewise, administrators need strong management policies to steer the direction of the school. Focused educational leadership provides for these needs and benefits everyone involved.
- Strong leaders bring together schools and the community – There’s truth to the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child. The same goes for schools. Strong educational leadership unites parents and teachers to effectively guide students’ progress and growth.
How Educational Leadership Helps Today
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been the most difficult time to be an educator in recent decades. Dr. Jarvis Sanford of Chicago reports that teachers around the world have had to adapt to sudden closures, teacher shortages, and the universally despised online classroom. Yet, strong educational leadership has transformed a setback into an opportunity to improve, grow, and learn.
Three years ago, no one could have imagined how easily digital learning integrates with standard classrooms. Yet, administrators and teachers alike have wholeheartedly jumped on board with Zoom, Google Classroom, and a handful of other online learning support systems.
Without clear and strong educational leadership, none of this would have been possible. It’s only thanks to the dedicated and united efforts of teachers and administrators that students have been able to continue their learning, even when forced to stay home.
Improving Educational Leadership Skills
If you are an educator or administrator who wants to excel at leadership, there are plenty of available resources you can tap into. Dr. Jarvis Sanford says to speak with your coworkers or HR team and set up a meeting to discuss professional training opportunities.
Additionally, obtaining a master’s degree in education, of course, will help clarify and improve your leadership prowess. Although it takes time to complete, it helps gain better opportunities throughout your career along with the added benefit of earning a higher salary.
Final Thoughts
Strong effective educational leadership is more important today than ever before says Dr. Jarvis Sanford of Chicago. As schools continue coping with the ever-changing landscape of education, teachers and administrators can only hope to grow if they dedicate themselves to continued learning, clear communication, and helping each other become better, more effective professionals.
